DISQUS

Thanks for the tip, Cristina! I knew about HARO but was afraid to sign up as I already receive too much email! But understanding the value and knowing it's 3 email per day (and not a separate one for every opportunity) has reassured me and I've just signed up.

Great tip, Cristina! There are so many ways we can "repurpose" our work. I'm in the process of combining some of my articles and workshop handouts to produce a new e-book which I'll be launching this month.

Because I was a professional organizer before I became a VA, I have quite a few presentations prepared on various organizing topics which I'm still asked to present from time to time. Since this doesn't really demonstrate my expertise as a VA, the next topic I work on will be Blogging and/or Using WordPress as a Content Management System.

Cristina, that is fantastic news! There are sure a lot of VAs who can benefit from your expertise. If there are still spots in your Marketing Momentum Program for Virtual Assistants, please feel free to email me some information and I'll pass it on to the members of my group.

Elizabeth, when I started my business, I also felt that I wasn't able to give referrals, but we all know 200+ people - they don't have to be clients or colleagues; just someone who needs something.

These are really excellent points. Too many people view a networking event as a chance to run around and hand out business cards or flyers to random people, then wonder why they don't get results.

I try to follow the steps you've outlined here, but I don't always think to send a helpful link as you've suggested. That's a great idea, which will really increase the chance of that person remembering you - thanks!

This is fantastic! I thought I was pretty knowledgeable about this topic, but of the sites mentioned, I'm only on LinkedIn.

It wouldn't really make sense for me to have a guest blogger, since my blog's title is "From the Desk of Janet Barclay" but I have posted interviews I've conducted with others via email.

I'm in the process of creating a new niche blog, and I definitely hope to have guest bloggers on that one.

One pitfall I've seen that's not mentioned here is that of using the blog strictly for self-promotion. Of course your blog is a marketing tool (in most cases) but one way to turn people off in a hurry is to turn it into a blatant sales pitch for your products and/or services.

I generally blog every day and sometimes wonder if people are too busy to visit that often, especially if they read a lot of different blogs. Your post has helped to alleviate that worry - thank you!

LinkedIn - my use is similar to Heather's. Purely professional (except for the rare occasion where I've reconnected on a social level with an old classmate or colleague). I rarely use it, except to accept connection requests and respond to messages.

Facebook - my use is mainly, but not exclusively, social, however, I am connected to many people who are professional, rather than personal, contacts. When I log into Facebook during the workday, it's like taking a coffee break with a friend or co-worker. I never put anything on Facebook that I wouldn't want my clients to see.

Twitter - I'm finally getting the hang of it, and I have to say I have got more value from it in the few months I've been using it than either of the above sites. I've been on LinkedIn for maybe 5 years, and Facebook for 2 years. So I think I'll be using it much more!

By the way, I blogged about a similar topic a few months ago: http://tinyurl.com/awtepu

Cristina, after speaking with you and attending your seminar at OIVAC, I bought the Strengthsfinder, but to be honest, I haven't really found it helpful. I agree with 4 of the 5 themes, but I don't see anything in the book or the Strengths Discovery and Action Planning Guide that really helps me do anything with this information.

Cristina, thanks for sharing this! It's very timely as I'm currently working on a total overhaul of my website, and one of the ideas I have in mind actually includes "I am the only..." - but first I need to make sure it's true, and I'm not sure how to do that!

Cristina, I am so excited to learn about this book club! I was looking for something like this a few months ago but had given up. Thank you!

Thanks for posting this quote! I often have trouble making decisions, but I never realized that it might be a form of perfectionism.